The Mermaid Blanket

Step 2: Now cut the strips into rectangles 5.5 x 7 inches.

Step 3: Find something hard and round that you can use to cut one edge into a circle shape. I cut through two layers at a time to speed up the process.

Now you should have a big stack of mermaid scales!

Step 4: Draw lines onto your backing fabric. Mine were 2 3/4 inches apart and I used my cutting mat as a straight edge because it was the biggest thing I could find.

Step 5: Lay out your design. I did a chevron pattern, but you could choose any design you want! The first row starts 1/2 inch from the edge. To off-set the pattern, start the second row 2 3/4 inches from where you started the first edge.

Step 6: Now stack up all your rows carefully, so your design pattern stays in order when you are ready to sew.

Step 7: Start sewing! Line up the felt pieces with the lines you drew on the backing fabric and just zip across the top straight edge, grabbing the next piece in the stack until you get to the end of the row.

Here’s a more random pattern I laid out before choosing the chevron design

Step 8: Sew on the fleece backing just like you would sew a pillow: right sides together, sew around the edges and leave a hole to turn it right-side-out. This step was challenging because cotton and fleece do not mix well. I had to pin like crazy. I easily used 100 pins to make sure the fleece did not stretch or move as I sewed it to the cotton. And I hate pinning. But it was necessary for this project.

Perty, ain’t it?!? Very mermaid-ish and funky. Perfect for a college apartment.